Enhancing Capacities for UNU-INRA Sparkle Volume 3, Issue 3 Enhancing Capacity for Managing Africa’s Natural Resources Improving the Development Outcomes of Private-Public-Partnerships in Agriculture and the Environment Featured: UNU-INRA PPP Project ___________ Director Contributes to International Conferences ____________ Harnessing Tree - Soil Nexus to Foster Green Growth in Africa Although agriculture is a major therefore become necessary to find new ways and ___________ growth opportunity in Africa partnerships to meet the resources required in the M.Sc. Student for food security and poverty development of agriculture. Receives reduction, there are still Certificate of fundamental challenges Against this backdrop, Public-Private Partnerships Proficiency hindering its progress. High (PPPs) are being promoted worldwide as an important ____________ levels of investment are institutional mechanism to get access to additional Three required to unleash the financial resources, sharing risks and addressing other Seminars potential of agriculture for (technical, institutional, economic, political, etc.) Held sustainable development in constraints in pursuit of sustainable and inclusive ____________ developing countries. agricultural development. In SSA, the growing private UNU-INRA Unfortunately, over the years, sector investment is in part channelled through an Receives Four many governments in Sub increasing number of Public Private Partnerships. Visiting Saharan Africa (SSA) have Although there is a growing interest in PPPs projects Scholars faced challenges with the that benefit smallholder farmers, there are few studies _ ____________ timely provision of funds for that have empirically established whether PPPs in Upcoming agriculture development. The SSA agricultural sector can effectively fulfil their Event: traditional ways of providing intended goals. Regional funds through regular Forum and budgetary allocations, donor In this regard, the United Nations University Institute Training support and concessional for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), with Workshop on bilateral and multilateral loans, funding from the International Development Research Green Growth have proved to be inadequate Centre (IDRC) is implementing a one (1) year and unpredictable. It has research project entitled “Improving the Development Sparkle Vol. 3, Issue 3. July-September, 2015 Outcomes of Private-Public-Partnerships in Similarly, the Centre for Sustainable Development Agriculture and the Environment”. The project aims (CESDEV) at the University of Ibadan in at reviewing and assessing the state of PPPs in collaboration with the African Sustainable agriculture and the environment in a representative Development Network (ASUDNET) and the number of Sub-Saharan African countries so as to Sustainable Development Solutions Network-Nigeria guide further research, policy development and (NSDSN) organized the 6th Annual Ibadan Sustainable targeting of private and public funds for partnership Development Summit (ISDS) 2015 in Ibadan from development. It specifically seeks to address the 23rd to 28th August, 2015. The UNU-INRA Director, knowledge gap on PPPs by providing policy-makers, Dr. Ayuk was invited to deliver a keynote paper on researchers, business decision-makers and relevant the theme “Economic growth and decent jobs within stakeholders in the agricultural sector with a better planetary boundaries”. The paper addressed two understanding of how PPPs in agriculture operate and specific questions. First, what opportunities exist in how their operation can be improved to contribute to Africa for economic growth and job creation within increased food security, social inclusion and poverty planetary boundaries? Second, what types of policies reduction. UNU-INRA is implementing this project in are needed to foster the creation of jobs that are both Burundi, Cameroun, Ghana, Mozambique, Senegal productive and decent? and South Africa. Also in a different event, the Director was a panellist NEWS at the High Level Forum on “Mobilising domestic resources to finance Africa’s transformation”. The Director Contributes to International Conferences forum was organized by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), on September 2-4 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dr. Ayuk’s contribution focused on the challenges and opportunities of the extractive sector in contributing to domestic resources mobilization. Harnessing Tree - Soil Nexus to Foster Green Growth in Africa Policy reforms are needed to successfully harness tree-soil relationship for green growth in Africa. This was a key message in a poster presentation entitled “Harnessing Tree - Soil Nexus to Foster Green Growth, Soil Carbon Stocks and Ecosystem Services’’, presented by Dr. Effiom Oku, Land and Water Resources Fellow, UNU-INRA, at a pre- nd congress workshop of the XIV World Forestry During the 2 Africa Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Congress held from 4th - 5th September, 2015, in for Food Security conference 2015 held in Nairobi, th st Durban, South Africa. Kenya, from 30 to 31 July, 2015, the Director of UNU-INRA, Dr. Elias. T. Ayuk moderated a plenary During the presentation, Dr. Oku reiterated the need to session on “Building scalable and inclusive business prioritise the development and implementation of models for Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EBA)”. The national forest conservation and biodiversity action session examined, amongst others, types of inclusive plans in Africa. He also suggested re-engineering the business models that can scale up EBA innovation and content of forestry courses at tertiary institutions so as create opportunities in the entire agricultural value to create a pool of manpower to drive green chain; how these models can increase domestic rehabilitation programmes in Africa. He, moreover, production; and how opportunities can be harnessed to emphasised the need for policy makers to allow transform Africa’s agriculture through inclusive and industries to contribute to land/forest restoration for innovative partnership. the benefits of the industries, the environment and mankind. Sparkle Vol. 3, Issue 3. July-September, 2015 The XIV World Forestry congress was held from 7th - Oluwafunmiso Adeola Olajide, UNU-INRA 12th September, 2015 in Durban, South Africa, under Visiting Scholar. the theme, “Forest and People: investing in a sustainable future”. It attracted about 4000 Estimating the Opportunity Cost of Conservation participants from 142 countries. This was the first Tillage Adoption as Climate Change Mitigation time the World Forestry congress was held in Africa. Option in Tandjoare, Togo, by Ms AFO-LOKO Owodon, PhD Intern, UNU-INRA. M.Sc. Student Receives Certificate of Proficiency Dr. Olajide’s presentation drew upon a study that is investigating the relationship between climate change, migration and the development of SMEs in Nigeria. Ms AFO-LOKO’s research on the other hand, estimated the opportunity cost of conservation tillage adoption in Tandjoare, and determined its explanatory factors. The findings revealed that, the total cost of conservation tillage adoption in Tandjoare is about 125,854.00 USD per annum. The 2nd seminar, held on August 20th, 2015, was on Engr. Prof. F.I Idike, Vice Chancellor of Ebonyi State University, the topic “Addressing Wastewater Challenges with an presenting the ceritificate to Mr. Itam Michael Ikoi, the Research African Bio-Resource”, by Dr. Effiom E. Oku, Land Student. and Water Resources Fellow, UNU-INRA. The A research student under UNU-INRA’s project with research, which assessed the potential of an African the title “Potential of an African Vetiver Grass grass species, “Chrysopogon nigritana”, in treating Species in Healing Industrial and Domestic Sick wastewater, reveals that the vetiver grass is effective Water” has successfully completed his M.Sc. thesis in removing contaminants from wastewater to the entitled “Effectiveness of Vetiver in the Treatment of World Health Organisation / Food and Agriculture Waste Water in Ebonyi State Municipal’’. The Organisation’s (WHO/FAO) or the United States student, Mr. Itam Michael Ikoi was awarded a Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) certificate of proficiency by UNU-INRA. The internationally accepted limits of heavy metals in certificate was presented to him by the Vice wastewater. Chancellor of the Ebonyi State University, Engr. Prof. F.I Idike, on behalf of the Director of UNU-INRA, Dr. Elias T. Ayuk at a short ceremony in the University. Mr. Ikoi, in a message to UNU-INRA, expressed appreciation to the Institute for awarding him the certificate. He also thanked his supervisors, Dr. Effiom Oku, Land and Water Resources Fellow, UNU-INRA and Dr. Catherine V. Nnamani, Director, Biotechnology, Research and Development Centre of the Ebonyi State University, Nigeria, for the support given him. Cross section of seminar participants Three Seminars Held The 3rd seminar in the quarter, held on September 9th, The United Nations University Institute for Natural 2015, witnessed three different presentations. The Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) organised three topics of these presentations were: seminars during the quarter to disseminate information on some of its research findings with the Assessing the Impact of Climate Shocks on Farm general public. The 1st seminar held on August 5th Performance and Adaptation Responses in the 2015, had presentations on the following topics: Niger Basin of Benin, by Dr. Boris Odilon Climate Change Induced Migration and its Kounagbè Lokonon, UNU-INRA